Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Fixer Exam, Is This Really Okay? (6)
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Reverse Mountain, bathed in moonlight, was truly a mystical sight.
Each leaf, shimmering in pastel tones, sparkled in the darkness.
It would be no exaggeration to call it a forest made of jewels.
Yet, despite the mystical scenery, the sound was utterly silent.
Not even the chirp of an insect could be heard, even for a winter night.
The atmosphere of Reverse Mountain at this late hour was chilling enough to make one shiver just by standing still.
Along that deathly quiet path, a woman walked leisurely forward.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, glanced down at a device subtly hidden in the ground, and spoke into the air.
“I was wondering why it wasn’t strangely cold. Did you hide a device that keeps the temperature from dropping below a certain point? Fixers are quite meticulous.”
“It can’t be helped. The creatures living on Reverse Mountain wouldn’t be able to adapt to extreme weather. It would be a problem if they all froze to death after we went to the trouble of creating a place for them to live.”
To the woman who had been muttering to herself where no one was present, a reply surprisingly came back.
And soon, walking out of the darkness with heavy steps was a rather stern-looking old man.
Had any other guests of Reverse Mountain been nearby, it would have been a startling sight.
For the old man’s identity was none other than the dragon, Tempest, one of the examiners for the third phase.
The strongest being, considered unapproachable by anyone.
In his prime, he was said to have held a status equal to an emperor ruling over dozens of kingdoms.
Even now, with his skills diminished by age, he was an absolute master of magic, still a contender for the title of the strongest.
Such an extraordinary being was roaming the exam site.
No matter how confident they were in their abilities, the examinees would have been too nervous to even meet his gaze.
“Then why not just build it in a place that isn’t cold to begin with? Is there a reason to build it in a place with low temperatures?”
“This area was considered useless rocky terrain. The land was relatively cheap.”
However, the woman standing before Tempest showed no signs of nervousness.
On the contrary, she was so composed, without any emotional stir, that it was Tempest who seemed wary of her.
Her hair was gathered into a single braid, her bangs fell to her eyes, she wore thick horn-rimmed glasses, and a long skirt that reached her ankles.
At a glance, she was the epitome of a plain woman one might find anywhere.
But the long eyelashes and sharp jawline visible beyond her glasses revealed a fatal charm that even such a simple outfit could not conceal.
Naturally, the woman’s identity was Vespera. A True Ancestor, a vampire of nearly pure blood.
The strongest being and the worst criminal, the queen of the night and the apex of life, a monster and a monster.
A certain sense of gravity flowed between the two as they faced each other in the deep darkness.
Of the two who were silently watching each other, it was Tempest who spoke first.
“So, what brings you here? …Vespera. I wouldn’t have thought you’d have much interest in this children’s game.”
“Oh my, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you perhaps mistaken?”
“Don’t play games… It seems you’ve reduced your presence with an artifact. Don’t you know such shallow tricks don’t work on a dragon?”
His guess was spot on, without a single flaw.
What Vespera used to hide her identity was an artifact in the shape of glasses.
It was a concealment-type item that hid the remnants of her magic and drastically reduced her presence.
However, it was meaningless to a dragon, whose senses were developed enough to see not just magic, but the brilliance of a soul.
It was as if there was no difference whether she had the artifact or not.
Perhaps judging that it was pointless now that she was discovered.
Vespera took off the glasses on her face with a light flick of her hand…
And immediately, an undeniable scent of blood and a thick killing intent filled the air around her.
“Hmph… What a troublesome old geezer. To think an old man would be here of all places, what bad luck.”
A True Ancestor who had devoured hundreds of thousands, millions of lives.
The ditzy older sister who had been playing house with a certain white-haired girl just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
Her presence was so immense that it didn’t fall short even against a dragon, a being who stood at the pinnacle of all life from birth.
As if not to be outdone, Tempest also revealed the presence he had been concealing.
*Crackle, crackle.* The sound of their colliding mana could be heard around the dragon and the True Ancestor.
A confrontation between two who seemed unwilling to yield an inch, as if their very pride was on the line.
This time, it was Vespera who spoke first, undoing her braid and finishing her preparations to fight at a moment’s notice.
“Any chance we can resolve this with a conversation? Dragon’s blood seems a bit too rich for me right now.”
“Hmph, as if the woman who destroyed a kingdom in one night because she was displeased would talk. I’d rather have a conversation with a dog.”
“Oh my, but everyone from the king to the commoners there used holy power, so I didn’t like it. And they were trying to brand me as a witch. They had no restraint in what they said to the great True Ancestor. A country like that is better off gone.”
Vespera spoke as if recounting a fond old memory and grinned.
It was a smile so enchanting it could captivate any man, no matter how strong-willed.
But perhaps because her opponent was an elderly dragon who had lived more than twice as long as her.
He simply scrunched up his face, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
“Enough. Further conversation is meaningless. State your business briefly. Withdraw from the exam right now and leave quietly. Otherwise…”
“Otherwise, what? You’ll kill me? Hoho, but can you do it alone, all old and withered?”
*Rumble…!*
As Vespera and Tempest began to fully unleash their presences, Reverse Mountain itself trembled as if in terror.
And in that hair-trigger moment, when it seemed they would unleash powerful magic at each other at any second.
Vespera, who had been building up her fighting spirit, tilted her head as if she had belatedly felt something was off and asked.
“Strange. The scent of blood I could clearly feel until just now has been cut off. Old man, did you perhaps cast a barrier?”
“Of course. If I fought a monster like you, this whole area would be wiped clean off the map.”
“Hmm… Wiped off the map, you say…”
As she mulled it over for a moment, the image of a certain white-haired girl flashed through her mind.
A seemingly ordinary girl, with no magic and no particularly impressive physique.
The thought that the child might get caught in the crossfire suddenly made her lose all interest.
Thus, like a deflating balloon, Vespera slowly lowered her raised arms.
And the murderous intent that seemed ready to tear Tempest apart also slowly subsided.
It was Tempest who was surprised by her reaction.
Vespera was supposed to have the personality to immediately erase any existence that annoyed her.
It was extremely puzzling that she had withdrawn her momentum as if she had no intention of fighting.
But regardless of his reaction.
She simply continued to speak nonchalantly, with a look of boredom.
“Forget it. I don’t really feel like fighting. Let’s sever our ill-fated connection another time.”
“Does that mean… you’ll withdraw willingly?”
“No? That’s a different story. I don’t particularly plan on passing, but if I leave, I’ll leave on my own terms. If you try to force me to withdraw… Hah, I’ll just kill every single examinee here and run away. You know that’s not a lie, don’t you?”
Vespera’s words were the absolute truth, without a hint of falsehood.
Of course, she couldn’t defeat Tempest.
There was a clear skill gap of at least one to one-and-a-half moves between them.
But Vespera being unable to defeat Tempest didn’t mean she couldn’t inflict any damage.
What if Vespera suddenly turned, slaughtered the examinees, and fled?
Considering the damage to the Fixer Association’s image from losing a large number of examinees in the exam, the exchange rate just didn’t add up unless he could finish her off completely.
Perhaps because he understood that well enough.
Tempest furrowed his brow as if he had a headache and asked Vespera.
“What… do you want?”
“I don’t really feel like telling you that… Well, don’t worry too much. I plan to withdraw on my own during the next phase.”
“The next phase…? Don’t tell me, in the Sky Garden…!”
“That’s a secret. Feel free to use your imagination, old man.”
*Kyahaha!*
Vespera laughed heartily as if it were the most amusing thing and turned her back to leave.
She had been quite nervous when he sent a presence from afar to invite her here.
But now that she realized he knew nothing, there was nothing more enjoyable than this.
*I’m looking forward to what will happen at the Sky Garden, where the fourth phase will take place.*
Vespera’s face twisted into an expression that was the very definition of a villainess.
Tempest watched Vespera’s retreating back and quietly contemplated.
Should he take the risk and settle things here, or should he trust her words and leave her be?
If she had been going around killing examinees, he would have tried to eliminate her without a second thought…
But the fact that she had only roughed some people up without killing anyone so far weighed on his mind.
‘Ugh… Still, it would be best if she just disappeared quietly, as if she were never here… Tsk, those carefree fools at the Association. They can’t even notice when a monster has infiltrated the exam site!’
In the end, the decision he made was to watch the situation while keeping her under surveillance so she couldn’t pull any tricks.
Now that she had already infiltrated this deep, any rash action would only lead to unnecessary bloodshed.
Tempest let out a deep sigh that seemed to rise from the depths of his chest.
Then he plopped down on a nearby stump and muttered to himself.
“Tsk… At this rate, I’ll have no choice but to tell them to be more vigilant for the fourth phase. Dammit, if she were just a bit weaker, I would have erased her without a second thought…”
Only a very small fraction of Fixers had noticed that her identity was Vespera.
And the contents of their recent conversation would not be transmitted, thanks to the cloaking barrier he had put up along with the main one.
Of course, this was to prevent unnecessary chaos.
He could only hope that no one would notice until the situation was completely resolved.
*Still, isn’t there a better solution?*
As Tempest pondered, the image of a certain girl suddenly flashed across his mind.
“Hmm… Come to think of it, that girl had a special kind of brilliance about her. And she was so close to Vespera… Yes, I think I need to have a word with her.”
Tempest voiced something that would have made a certain white-haired girl jump in surprise.
But with no one to hear it, his monologue simply scattered and vanished into the empty air.